A Day at the Beach: Higa Drabbles and Oneshots
by half of NF
Summary: A place for pieces dealing with the motivations and events that make up the Higa Middle School regulars. Each submission focusing on a different area/character. Chapter 1: "Leadership"


**Title: **_"__Leadership__"_

**Rating:** K+

**Words:** 652

--

"I want a hundred more swings out of you punks, so get your worthless asses into gear or I'll have them in a sling!" bellowed the overweight coach for Higa Middle School. Even if the man's attitude didn't repulse a person, the way his obese belly shook as he screamed obscenities at the hardworking Higa regulars could cause the most jaded stomachs (ones used to the perils of gouya or Seigaku's rumored Golden Powered Remix) to turn.

But, as Kite flung his entire body into the swing of the tennis racket, he barely even registered the man's presence. His sole focus lay along the nearly three foot span of his left arm's extention. And, of course, on the other tanned, exhausted members of his team.

The clipped whap of his old, sun-bleached racket beat through the air. _Sixty-three strokes left._

His team, who he would lead through battle after battle until they came home as the National champions.

_And, again._ _Forty-seven more._

His team, who had given sweat and blood to climb their way to the top. So that, their region would finally be a place where winners wouldn't come as a surprise, and every Okinawa triumph that of an underdog, dark horse entry.

_Never stop._ _Twenty-eight._

A splash of water hit into Kite's waist and dotted his glasses, as he leaned into the final stretch of strokes. Letting his eyes wander to the right, he saw Tanishi collapsed on his knees in the two foot high ocean current.

"Hey, fatass, you still got fifty more to go. Damn it, Kite, he can't even last out a practice," complained Shiranui, barely out of breath due to his hard won endurance nurtured by years under the harsh Okinawan sun.

"Be quiet and finish your strokes, Shiranui-kun, unless you'd like to add some laps to today's regimen. Tanishi-kun will do the same work as everyone else. Just give him a minute," the Higa captain could be ruthless, overly pragmatic and violent, when he felt the necessity existed. But, he also knew when pushing his teammate was going to end up with them passing over the edge of their endurance, when too much training had become dangerous. If Tanishi needed a moment, then he could take one.

_Saotome better not say a word or I swear to..._

"Ha!" Kite's burst of anger at the thought of their coach fueled the final twenty odd swings of his racket. By the time, he'd gotten to the last ten, Tanishi had moved to a standing position and prepared to lean back for another stroke.

A small smirk made it's way onto Kite's lips at the sight. _Three_

With such drive, his team would win. They would finally receive the recognition they deserved. _Two._

"I thought I told you to finish up your swings, you lazy bastards," hollered Saotome. _One._

"If I have to say it one more-...Shit!" the Higa coach reached up to rub the left side of his bald head, now red from where it had been hit by a wild racket, "_Kite_." The man growled, looking at the team captain whose empty hands robbed him of any reasonable alibi. Not that he would've explained himself anyways.

"I think, _grunt_, it was a slip, _grunt_, Coach," snarked Kai, as he finished up his own swings.

"Yeah, Kite-buchou must've slipped," droned Chinen; his racket slicing through the air with reliable ease.

"I mean,_ grunt_, it's real wet out here, Coach."

"Yeah, real wet."

Without saying a word in his own defense, Kite walked to pick up his racket from the feet of Saotome. As he straightened, the older man glared, ready to verbally tear into the youth and order some impossible physical punishment. But, the dark look of open aggression on Kite's usually calm face stopped him.

_My team._

--

_A/N: So, I recently became a part of the Prince of Tennis fandom. And, I am also a big Higa Middle School fan. Thus, I plan on writing drabbles and oneshots, detailing various stories involving the characters and sticking them here from now on. Hope you guys enjoy them, as much as I enjoy spending extra time with characters I've grown to adore._

_As a final remark, there won't ever be any romance in these Higa pieces. Not because I disapprove of PoT coupling, shounen-ai, whatever. But, because I lack the ability to write crack, and I feel like that's what you'd need if you wanted any of these Okinawa boys to realistically lust after one another._

_Oh, and R & R is always appreciated. (/end of shameless plug)_


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